Into the Water: A Novel

I wanted to love Into the Water as much as I did The Girl on the Train, so I stuck with it, eventually tearing out the character list near the book’s title page for referencing, just so I could keep up with all the voices! Hawkins is such an excellent writer, and that’s the reason one keeps reading. If anything, readers are reminded by book’s end that nothing, absolutely nothing, is ever as it first appears.

I really liked this book. I thought it was different than Hawkins' debut novel, The Girl on the Train. There is so much going on in this book, it doesn't just focus on one character. Rather, there is a huge ensemble of characters in this British town where the story takes place. In fact, it's probably too many characters. I actually had to take notes to keep all the characters straight (at least 15!) , which isn't too unusual for me if I know I'm going to be discussing it later but I'm not. :/ A lot of the people intersect but not all and sometimes it felt like multiple story lines. So why 4 stars? Well, it did keep my interest. I was very curious how it was all going to wrap it and there were some things that happened that I didn't see coming. This is a story about several woman who drowned (or did they?), when and why? None of the characters are particularly likable. I did like the descriptions of the town and river that runs through through it.

discombobulated...could not get into it at all

Suicidal lake

For me the writing format and style were hard to read to follow and read. I stopped because it just didn’t flow. I think it could have a good story, just not a flow to the reading